


Speaking Up For Yourself

by hangtoughnkotb



Category: The Turning (2020)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, F/M, Flashbacks, Ghosts, Manipulation, Other, Possession, Psychological Trauma, Quint Is An Asshole, Supernatural Elements, Supernatural Interpretation, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:07:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25690072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hangtoughnkotb/pseuds/hangtoughnkotb
Summary: The girl was pacing, tugging her sleeve and biting her lip when Kate looked at her. Her movements were fidgety and hesitant until she charged up to Kate and pulled up her sleeve.Her arm had the letters 'MF' deeply carved into it. The wound was old but still difficult to look at, causing a queasy feeling in Kate's stomach. She gently took (Y/N)'s arm and grimaced as her finger traced over the letters."He carved it. Miles," (Y/N) said.Went with the supernatural interpretation of the story rather than Kate just being crazy.
Relationships: Miles Fairchild/Reader, Reader & Kate Mandell, Reader/Miles Fairchild
Comments: 3
Kudos: 52





	1. An Utter Lack of Agency

Kate thought (Y/N) was an odd girl.

She was quiet, seldom laughed or smiled or frowned, only straight-faced. When she talked, it was similar to that of a robot waiting for command as she observed the environment around her. Her responses were monotonous with a hint of rise in her speech whenever she asked a question. She was nice though and the only sense of normality she had while staying at the Fairchild house other than Flora's adorable presence. That was why it was so confusing to know she was dating Miles.

Kate was optimistic but Miles was a very hard person to like. His tone was passive aggressive to everything Kate said. He didn't have any respect for anyone "below" him. His pranks held an unusually dark undertone to them. And most annoyingly, he liked to speak for other people. While Flora got in her words sometimes, (Y/N) couldn't seem to breathe unless Miles told her to. A few days into Kate's job, (Y/N) came for breakfast before her and Miles went to school (before he got expelled). It was the first time Kate formally met her since Miles would immediately take her to his roomthen spend the rest of the day in there so Kate was excited when he said she was coming over.

(Y/N) revealed that she really liked to draw which is how Miles fell for her in the first place, causing him to take over her words and practically explain the emotions behind her _own_ drawings. When Kate tried to get (Y/N) to speak for herself again, she simply responded with "What Miles said, I guess," then continued to eat.

There was an awkward silence before Flora spoke up and said she liked to draw as well which garnered a small reaction from (Y/N) but Kate assumed it was only a twitch of her lips. The subject then changed to music when Miles mentioned how he liked to display his expressions through song and Kate found out that her and (Y/N) liked the same music. (Y/N) suggested that Kate should recommend any new songs as she now trusted Kate's judgement. That exchange seemed to flick a fire in Miles' eyes as he took his girlfriend's hand and said they were going to be late for school. Kate recognized it but didn't comment on it.

His behaviour was definitely annoying but it didn't come out of nowhere. Losing your parents and then your mentor was something Kate could never relate to. Yes, she had lost people but not to the extent of the Fairchild children, life fucked them up hard. But regardless, they responded to those deaths in different ways and Miles' response was definitely more aggressive then Flora's. Fortunately for Flora, she didn't have a monster for a mentor, she had sweet Ms. Jessel. Kate read her daily log on Flora's studies and she seemed to be very passionate in helping the little girl succeed. Kate even took the liberty of using some of Ms. Jessel's teaching methods which showed clear positive effects in Flora's work compared to her own. But her logs got more sinister as Kate turned the pages, leading to the other figure in the house.

Miles had Quint who Ms. Grose said was a terrible influence on him. He took the boy out to parties and came home drunk, moulded him into believing certain negative behaviour traits were deemed okay which explained why he was so cold towards others, and taught him about dealing with women which worried her about (Y/N). Kate didn't know how (Y/N) reacted to the kind of things Miles learned front Quint but Ms. Grose revealed she tried to push him away from that sort of stuff and one day she simply stopped. (Y/N) just became complicit and let Miles do his thing while staying his lighter counterpart. Kate assumed that was her way of keeping Miles from going Quint-levels of predatory based on Ms. Jessel's entries but she was still worried for the young girl. It was quite weird to see such a juxtaposition of personality compared to Miles. She expected the significant other of the young boy to be as dark and gothic as him. But hey, opposites attract.

From then on, Kate found a sense of comfortability in the girl and tried her best to talk to her whenever she came over. After Miles was expelled, (Y/N) practically slept over and while the expulsion was both upsetting and eerie considering _why_ Miles was expelled, Kate enjoyed (Y/N)'s company when she was granted access to talk. Still, the question was lingering in the back of her head: why was she with Miles of all people?

"He's nice to me," is what (Y/N) said when she came over after school. Miles was out riding his horse, a habit he picked up with all the free time on his hands. He called (Y/N) over and she was greeted with Kate at the door. The latter saw it as an opportunity to talk to her alone without Miles giving his input every five seconds.

"What does he do?" Kate asked, handing her a cup of hot tea. (Y/N) said thank you and took the handle.

"He liked to write songs for me, watch movies, horseback riding. Uh, when he confessed, he gave me flowers." Kate noticed how hard she had to think about what she said, but one word stuck out to her.

"Liked to? As in past tense?" She questioned. (Y/N)'s face stayed straight as she broke eye contact, looking at the sink.

"He hasn't since... y'know. Now he has more intimate ways of showing affection," she said as she tugged on the sleeve of her uniform coat. She didn't want to take it off when Kate asked her if she wanted to, despite how humid the temperature was outside.

"I feel like we're getting into girl talk territory," Kate chuckled, putting her cup down on the table.

(Y/N) didn't chuckle and gulped down some of her tea. "What's girl talk?"

"Oh c'mon! You don't know what girl talk is?" Kate expressed surprise, over exaggerating it a little out of habit.

"No," (Y/N) shook her head.

"Your friends don't bring the term up when you talk?"

"People aren't really flocking over to be my friend, they all make fun of me." While Kate was becoming used to the young teen's deadpan delivery, her nonchalance when speaking about her treatment formed a pit in Kate's stomach.

"That's terrible, I'm so sorry. Do your parents know? I'm sure your mom or dad could contact the school—"

"Just dad," she corrected. "Mom's off god knows where."

"Oh." Kate felt like she was saying wrong thing after wrong.

"Anyway, the girls in my school said I was a freak and made fun of me more when Miles entered the picture." (Y/N) sipped her tea.

"What'd he do?"

"Be hot. All the girls are in love with him," she stated bluntly. "They'd leave notes in his locker, try to catch him after school. I liked him too but I convinced myself he'd never notice me. One of the girls took one of my drawings of him and gave it to him, saying how I was a stalker and a weirdo. Then he picked me for some reason and they got mad about it. Kind of made me wonder why he _did_ choose me."

"Y'know I think I know why. You're a very sweet girl, and those other girls aren't worth it." A lightbulb went off in Kate's head. "How about we go on a girl's day out tomorrow?"

"Does that correlate with girl talk?" (Y/N) blinked. Kate heard the door open in the living room.

"Yeah," Kate smiled.

(Y/N) tugged on her sleeve, trailing her eyes on the corner of the marble island. Even with her emotionless face, Kate sensed her uncomfortability. "I don't think Miles would want me to."

"What? That's ridiculous." It seemed like there was an anvil over the girl's head. As if she was afraid to say the wrong thing.

"I don't wanna leave him alone." Her eyes stayed fixed, Kate almost had the urge to look at what she was as well. It was always nothing.

"Well, I guess that's fair but if you change your mind—"

"Change your mind about what?" A third voice entered the conversation in the presence of Miles walking into the kitchen. Kate was about to speak up but (Y/N) best her to the punch.

"Nothing, just uh, girl talk." She jumped out of her seat and walked over to the curly-haired boy and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

Kate made the decision to look away and grab an apple when she realized the kiss was more than just a peck. Based on the way she said it, there was that slight rise in (Y/N)'s voice when she mentioned the intimacy. Kate didn't know her for as long as Miles did but she didn't seem to be the type of person who was into the over-intimacy and only accepted it for Miles.

She turned back around when Miles started talking again, "Why didn't do you come around back? I was waiting for you."

"Oh, I didn't know. I was just talking with Kate," (Y/N) gestured over to her who smiled in response. Miles' face dropped as he looked at the blonde-haired woman with judgement seeping into his coal eyes. Whatever Kate tried to do, it felt like Miles would look at her as if she killed his parents.

"Meet me upstairs, kay?" Miles said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Kate expected her to blush like everybody did if someone used one of those moves on them, but she simply nodded and waved at Kate before disappearing behind the doors. Kate wondered if she was devoid of any emotion sometimes.

"Next time, send (Y/N) straight to me. I called her to meet me, not you."

Kate seriously considered giving up on trying to be nice to Miles. "We were just talking to each other."

"Okay? She's my girlfriend, not yours."

"She has free will, Miles. I didn't force her to talk to me." Kate grabbed (Y/N)'s cup and saw it was half-empty. She just dropped everything when Miles was around.

"(Y/N) always feels obligated to talk to people who talk to her. Don't take advantage of her, okay?" Miles turned around and headed for the stairs, but not before saying, "Stay away from her."

Kate shook her head and sighed as she chugged the rest of her tea.

(⌒_⌒;)

It was the fifth night in a row that Kate woke up from a nightmare. She was greeted by her bedside lamp illuminating her room, reaching out its light as far as they could but still not able to get the dark corners of her room. Maybe she wasn't used to a room this size but it felt too big. Of course, she could see everything but sometimes that wasn't always a good thing, especially when it came to getting a good night's sleep.

This nightmare ended with Miles' hands around her throat as his hair turned longer and greasy. He was forming into someone else before Kate woke up but concluded it was just the effects of a bad dream with no real meaning. Quint stuck in the back of her mind, still the two puzzle pieces didn't fit together to her. She rubbed her head and set her feet on the cold floor, then found their way into her slippers. Water was her first priority.

Navigating her way through the house was getting easier. After going through the east wing and hearing those strange voices in the wind, she made sure to memorize her routes of the house so she wouldn't run into a hall like that again. Flora said that the east wing was the only place she didn't explore, but Kate wasn't taking her chances anywhere else. She took one route and one route only.

She flicked the light of the kitchen and made her way to the cabinet of cups, grabbing a small glass from the bottom shelf. Sighing, she turned on the faucet and put her cup under the stream of water. Overall, her experience with this job was stressful but she wouldn't give up hope just yet. She didn't want to fail Flora and though Miles was on the rebellious side, he reminded her of herself when she was younger with the death of her dad. She hated to admit it but she saw a lot of her in Miles. Perhaps, that was why she hadn't given up on him yet. Quint was a problem though and her drive to find out what happened between him and Ms. Jessel was taking her over.

She turned around and put the cup to her lips before jumping at the figure standing by the kitchen doorway. Her hand gravitated toward her chest while some of the water hopped over the glass and hit the floor. If there was one thing Miles and (Y/N) had in common, it was the way they stood in the dark and waited for someone to scare.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," (Y/N) said, pulling down her sleeve. Kate noticed she had a t-shirt over her long sleeves that she concluded belonged to Miles since it went down to her knees.

"It's okay," Kate took a deep breath, lowering her heart rate. "Couldn't sleep either?"

(Y/N) scratches her head, "No, I heard you leave your room. I wanted to ask you... I wanted to talk about the girls day out thing."

Kate perked up, "Oh really?"

"Yeah, I wanna go. It might be fun," she said softly and twiddled her fingers. "I know Flora doesn't like to leave the house but there was this dollhouse that I saw in the mall. Maybe we could get it for her."

"Yeah, yeah that's a great idea. You're free tomorrow, right?"

"You mean today? It's one in the morning."

Kate's eyes widened then looked to the clock that created the subaudible ticking the background. It was ten minutes past one. God, she needed meds or something. "Yeah, that's what I meant. What are you doing up at one anyway?"

"Irritations," she responded and scratched her wrist.

"Do you have pads?"

"No, not that kind of irritation. Just feel off."

Kate didn't like the fact she immediately thought of Miles when (Y/N) said that. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she stated bluntly. "Good night, Kate."

Kate blinked as the girl disappeared into darkness, her footsteps fading out with each step. She took another sip of her water, the looming thought of (Y/N)'s monotony dancing in her head. There was something about the way she suppressed her emotions down to her lips that worried Kate. But who knows, that could just be the way she is. Maybe Miles picked her over the girls who liked him because she was subtle about the situation. Whatever it was, Kate felt like she was holding something back.

(⌒_⌒;)

Breakfast the morning of, was quieter than usual and everyone knew who the culprit of the silence was, even he himself. Miles didn't care he made the atmosphere awkward, his goal was always to take control of the situation. And though she couldn't show it, Kate was infuriated, growing more suspicious of the relationship between Miles and (Y/N).

It started when she came down the stairs, dressed for her and Kate's girls day out. Once again, (Y/N) sported long sleeves in the form of a black sweater with a ragged black skirt that went just below her knees.

"Hey, (Y/N)!" Flora exclaimed, causing the girl to wave back. "Could you check out my drawing after you come back?"

"Sure—"

"Come back from where?" Miles asked, stuffing eggs into his mouth.

"(Y/N) and I are having a girl's day out," Kate answered and checked if she had her wallet in her bag. However, that prevented her from seeing the amount of daggers Miles threw at her.

"When did you guys decide to do that?" His words went towards (Y/N). When Kate's head looked back up, she saw the harsh light over the girl's eyes.

"Uh yesterday, but I don't have to go." She shrugged, picking up her fork. Kate furrowed her eyebrows as Miles nodded and picked up his OJ.

"Woah wait, (Y/N), you said you wanted to go?"

"And now she said she doesn't." Miles tilted his head innocently then smiled at his girlfriend.

Kate huffed and turned her head to (Y/N) who was looking off into the abyss. "(Y/N), do you want to go?"

She looked up at Kate, a hint of longing in her eyes. It wasn't an illusion, she could tell (Y/N) wanted to go. Her thoughts were just clouded by an invading presence that liked to enjoy getting on Kate's nerves. Suddenly, a glass of OJ was harshly set on the table, causing the table to look at Miles who had his eyes set on (Y/N). Through the way they stared at each other, Kate would assume they were having a silent conversation.

Now, there's a whole thing about who wears the pants in a relationship and no matter how much equality each member had, one person had a little more authority. Full equality was rare, Kate knew that. However, Miles not only wore the pants, he owned the entire outfit and left (Y/N) with nothing.

"No," was her final answer. Kate leaned back in her seat, defeated which seemed to put a smile on Miles' face.

And that was the cause of the silence swimming through the air as it took all strength away from (Y/N)'s character. Kate couldn't believe the weird psychological power Miles had over (Y/N), like he was building this over the course of their relationship. Based on the way (Y/N) talked about it, Miles used to be kind but recent events caused a turn in his behaviour. Kate wanted to talk to (Y/N) about it but she was practically tied to Miles' hip. The only time she was alone was late in the night and Kate didn't want to bother her sleep because of her own curiosity.

There was something wrong though, and she couldn't let it go.


	2. Carving Out The Truth

𝔼ver since the whole 'girls day out' debacle, Miles never left (Y/N)'s side. When he did, he left her in his room and Kate wasn't allowed in since it was his private space. Any time they came downstairs, Miles hung out with her in a room far away where Kate was when she did lessons with Flora. During dinner, the table was silent with (Y/N) staring at her long sleeves while Kate observed her movements. She practically lived there now because based on Miles' words, she couldn't bare to be away from him. It came to the point where she would skip school so she could spend the day with him. Kate knew he was lying about her reasoning but gave him the benefit of the doubt, not wanting to grow any more suspicions or bad blood between them.

On the bright side, Kate made time to look into the Jessel-Quint relationship, scouring parts of the house she had never set foot in before. One of those rooms held an array of old books collecting dust on the shelf as old as the house itself. The light outside the windows were sniffed by the darkness that lurked in the room. It was where she found the pictures that had now engrained itself in her mind. She cringed while she examined them, feeling like she was intruding on Ms. Jessel herself. The first picture was her sleeping with the headline ' _Even asleep, you look beautiful._ ' The second and third looked like it was taken over top of her while she was in a compromising position, unconscious. Kate barely looked at the fourth one before getting the urge to throw up so she put her well-being over curiosity and put the pictures back where she found them, a glimpse of a man lurking in the corner of her eye as she left the room.

It was like the more she looked into it, the more she became inclined to believe Ms. Jessel's death wasn't an accident. She wanted to ask Flora but the poor girl was traumatized already and she didn't even want to go try and reach out to Miles, knowing he'd give her a cryptic response. Ms. Grose was probably her best bet.

The old woman was preparing dinner when Kate found her, focused on cutting the vegetables in front of her. Kate knocked on the doorframe, alerting her of her presence. Ms. Grose looked up and pursed her lips then said, "Yes, Kate?"

"How did Ms. Jessel die?" Better to be blunt than ease into it.

"And why would you like to know such a thing?" Ms. Grose asked, resting her hand on the cutting board.

"Just curious."

She sighed, "She tried to leave at night and the next morning her car was found abandoned at the gates."

"So how do you know she died?"

"There are terrible things in the woods, Kate. Ms. Jessel unfortunately met them."

Kate looked down to the floor in thought, perplexed. It made sense that she had to open the gates to leave but how would something be fast enough to catch her? Unless it wasn't some _thing_. Her mind flashes back to the log entries and the pictures, an unsettling conclusion resting in her brain.

"Did Ms. Jessel leave because of Quint?"

"It seemed like they were romantically involved. I don't see how that could make sense." Ms. Grose set the vegetables into the pot.

Romantic is the last word that would pop into Kate's mind. "Her entries said she was creeped out by Quint, not in love with him."

"That's not the way she acted. She didn't speak much, mostly complicit with Quint's actions. Almost emotionless. She was good with Flora though, which is who you should be worrying about. The past does not matter anymore, stop bringing it up. You have a job, do it."

She wanted to listen to the second half of Ms. Grose's statement but the words 'complicit' and 'emotionless' bounced over her eardrums. They reminded her about another person too much. Miles learned everything from Quint, that was the biggest red flag. And each of his actions went one step closer to being the monster Quint was.

She glanced over to the stairs, wondering what exactly Miles and (Y/N) were doing in his room. They were teenagers so she had an idea but with all the dot connecting she had been doing, more suspicious things were popping up. She couldn't just intrude but she needed to talk (Y/N) alone, her personality was being beaten and broken by Miles with each passing day. Spending time away from him would be her best option at getting better because there was a voice screaming inside of her, wanting to get out.

Kate wiped her eyes then looked at the window, the waves of insanity taking over her body. Her sight deceived her when she saw a reflection of Ms. Jessel soaked in water, screaming inaudibly. Her blonde hair was matted down to her neck as her white dress sagged, revealing provocative parts of her body. Kate's body froze in fear and confusion while she looked at the distressed woman who seemed to be sending a sign or a message. Whatever that message was, Kate didn’t know nor could she even assume this was real. It wasn’t the first time she saw her but something as strange as seeing a dead woman on a reflective surface didn’t connect with sanity. She wiped her eyes again then Jessel was gone. The window only framed a picture of Flora playing with her porcelain dolls outside. Kate put her hand over her chest, trying to slow down her heartbeat. _Stop trying to scare yourself._ She said to herself.

Suddenly, her heart rate spiked up again when loud music filled the dead silence of the house, trickling out of Miles' room. Kate threw her head back and groaned. As if she needed more buckets of stress. She looked at the window one more time and saw nothing then walked upstairs.

She knocked on Miles' door and said his name, receiving no answer back. She sighed and knocked harder, slamming her palm on the wood while simultaneously yelling his name. Eventually, he opened the door slightly, squinting his eyes in confusion. His lips were swollen and his hair was messier than usual.

"What?" He asked.

"Can you please turn your music down?" Kate caught a glimpse of (Y/N), sitting on Miles' bed and hiding her arms in her thighs. It was the first time Kate saw her wearing a t-shirt.

"Who am I bothering?"

"It's common decency, Miles." Kate said matter-of-factly.

"(Y/N) wanted me to play it, she said you'd like it too." Miles looked back at the girl who went to his drawers, pulling out one of his sweaters. She was trying her damndest to hide her arms behind her back.

"I appreciate the sentiment but it's too loud. Turn it down." Kate demanded. Miles rolled his eyes and slammed the door. The music was then turned louder, the bass pumping through the walls. She knocked on the door once again and called his name, feeling the creases in her forehead forming. When he didn't answer, she simply opened his door and caught the two teens in the act of making out. (Y/N) had her hands tangled in his hair, though she seemed hesitant despite the fact it looked like she definitely had experience with kissing. Miles, on the other hand, was much more into it with one hand on her waist and the other holding her neck in place. They looked the juvenile couple that would skip class to make out in the janitor’s closet. Kate was caught off guard but soon found her footing and went towards Miles' stereo and turned the knob down. She didn't turn it off completely, but it was low enough where it didn't escape his bedroom walls. When she turned around, Miles was standing in front of her with an angered look.

"Keep it down," Kate said softly.

"You aren't my mother. Stop trying to be."

"I'm not trying to be your mother."

Miles scoffed and muttered something under his breath then sat back down on his mattress. He grabbed his girlfriend's face as he turned to Kate and said, "Can you leave now?"

Kate threw her hands up in surrender then walked out of the room. She caught a glimpse of (Y/N) looking at her with remorse before Miles captured her lips with his as Kate closed the door. Out of all the earth's mysteries, the question of why (Y/N) decided to stay with someone as disrespectful as Miles was the biggest one. It just didn't make sense. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself down then retreated to her room.

（＾_＾）

Kate said goodnight to Flora as she turned off the light to her room, receiving a tired goodnight in response. As she walked down the hall to her room, she wrapped her robe further around her body and looked out the windows to see if her eyes would deceive her again. The last time it felt so real, like Ms. Jessel could reach out and touch her. Perhaps it was the effects of staying at the house for so long. It wasn't like she actually looked like she was outside, she was trapped in the reflection which is impossible.

But when Kate saw her standing by the trees outside the window, she was more inclined to believe it was real. Jessel was staring right at her, Kate was sure of it. Her white dress was identical to the one she was soaked in and her blonde hair was flowing in the wind rather than latched to her neck. Kate rubbed her eyes just in case, and just her luck, Jessel stood still.

She wasted no time and travelled down the stairs then out the door, running to Jessel disappearing into the woods. Kate called out her name, but she didn't seem to hear clearly and kept walking. Soon enough, Kate found herself dodging vines and branches the deeper she moved into the trees. Her feet sunk into the mud beneath her, squinting her eyes to keep her sight on the woman in white. She regretted keeping her head straight up as she didn't notice herself sink into a swamp, yelping when the ground gave out. She tried to swim out before her foot hit something that felt like a limb. Kate furrowed her eyebrows, her stomach flipping at the unsettling feeling of skin on her feet. She didn't want to find out what or who it was, but her investigation depended on this.

She dived into the swamp, trying her best not to swallow the water. Once her eyes adjusted she saw a female body floating lifelessly with her pale drained skin glowing darkly, white dress and blonde locks. There was no doubt in Kate's mind that this was Ms. Jessel, it was screaming her name. The biggest problem she found with her body is she was completely intact. There were no bite marks or claw scratches, nothing to connect her death with an animal of the woods. She only noticed Jessel's neck covered in purple marks and her inner thighs significantly bruised.

This was the doing of an animal, but not the kind you find in the woods. The puzzle pieces started to fit the more Kate examined Ms. Jessel. She wrote logs about Quint's creepy behaviour and advances but acted in a way that suggested romantic undertones. She became so fed up to the point where she felt like she had to run away and suspiciously disappeared from her car at the gates. And with the way Quint had told Miles his terrible advice for dealing with other people, he had to be teaching from experience. The conclusion was scary but it made too much sense. Quint must've killed Jessel.

Just as the thought settled in her mind, another hand grabbed her leg from behind, dragging her further down the water. Kate screamed and tried to pry the hand off her ankle, squirming excessively. The hand felt small and fragile but somehow kept a strong grip on her. Her lungs started to pulse in pain, starving for oxygen as Kate tried to swim upward. For a split second, she was able to get her head above water and take a breath before she was pulled back down into the water to find a new body in replacement of Ms. Jessel.

It was (Y/N).

Kate's eyes widened in horror as the hand on her ankle let go. Her eyes were closed, the same purple bruises sat on her neck as well as her thighs. Her clothes was the same outfit she wore for her girls day out, covered in mud and ripped significantly. This was definitely an illusion, she knew this was Ms. Jessel, her mind was messing with her. But this was a message of some sort, Kate could feel it in her gut just like the one before. And she was pretty sure she knew what her mind was saying.

She needed to get (Y/N) out of the house.

（＾_＾）

Kate jumped when she came out of her bathroom while drying her hair after her swim in the swamp. The culprit of the scare was (Y/N), closing the door to Kate's bedroom. She was wearing a long-sleeve shirt under an oversized t-shirt with a pair of fuzzy socks covering her feet. Even though, seeing her in the water was an illusion, she still felt relief wash over her at the sight of the girl. Before Kate got the chance to speak, (Y/N) swiftly put her finger to her mouth.

"Miles doesn't know I'm here," she whispered. Kate furrowed her eyebrows, opening her ears for any additional footsteps outside her door. When there was clear silence, Kate nodded and gestured to the sewing room for them to talk. (Y/N) walked into it and looked around at the different sewing supplies and mannequins while Kate threw her towel on the bed and went to join (Y/N), closing the door behind her. The girl was pacing, tugging her sleeve and biting her lip when Kate looked at her. Her movements were fidgety and hesitant until she charged up to Kate and pulled up her sleeve.

Her arm had the letters 'MF' deeply carved into it. The wound was old but still difficult to look at, causing a queasy feeling in Kate's stomach. She gently took (Y/N)'s arm and grimaced as her finger traced over the letters.

"He carved it. Miles," (Y/N) said. It sounded nonchalant but Kate could hear the pain behind it. "After Quint died."

"Why?" Kate asked, baffled.

"He said I wasn't allowed to leave him. Because he didn't want to lose anyone else. So he marked me." Kate let go of (Y/N)'s arm and she looked at it herself in deep thought. "He used to be good, you don't have to believe it but he was. He was sweet and gentle. He was respectful to basically everyone, he wasn't capable of being mean even when other people provoked him. And he made made me feel good about myself when other girls were mean to me. Then his parents died and Quint took advantage of that, more than I thought was possible. He told him to solve everything with violence and anger, told him that he should treat everyone as if they were below him, told him that being sensitive was a sign of weakness. The biggest thing he taught him was 'in order to have control over something, you have to break it.' Miles used that on everything and everyone, including me." For the first time, Kate saw real evidence of (Y/N)'s emotion in the form of a tear falling down her face. She wiped it quickly and continued.

"He tried to force the same things he learned on me. Like the over sexual flirting and random touching. He tried to tell me how to feel about certain things. It got to the point where smiling too much was a problem because he thought I was thinking of someone else. If I frowned too much he thought I was miserable with him. Eventually, I just stopped trying and he stopped judging my every move so I thought we were fine. Then Ms. Jessel came along. Quint would try moves on her, Miles would try the same things and that's where the demands for more intimacy came from." (Y/N) took a shuddery breath and looked down.

"You don't have to continue—"

"Then Jessel died which obviously took a toll on Flora and the way Quint talked to her about it just about messed her up. I'm pretty sure she hated him after that because she never talked to him and stayed in her room. Then Quint talked to me and told me that Ms. Jessel died because she tried to fight back and run away and if I tried to do the same, I'd meet the same fate. From then on, I knew he killed her and I didn't want him to kill me nor did I want to leave Miles. And after Quint died, he never really left. Like, it felt like he was still lurking in the house and Miles never let go of his influence since my arm has what it has. So I didn't try to leave, I mean, I believed he needed me. I still do! But, I'm scared Kate. Even if I don't leave, I can't help but think he might do something to me."

Kate uses her thumb to wipe (Y/N)'s tears then caresses her cheek. The girl lets a small sob escape before she covers her mouth. Kate was expecting something pretty bad when the time came for this conversation but she wasn't expecting what she heard.

"(Y/N), I know you feel like staying but you're not safe here."

(Y/N) shook her head, "I can't leave Miles."

"You said it yourself, you don't know what he might do to you." Kate placed her hand on (Y/N) shoulders then gestured to her arm. "Look at what he has done to you."

"If I leave, he'll kill me."

"Miles won't kill you—"

"Not Miles. Quint," (Y/N) corrected, causing Kate to furrow her eyebrows. "I-I know it sounds crazy but I think Quint's spirit or something has been trying to take over Miles. Like possessing him."

Based on what Kate had seen in this house before, (Y/N)'s claim was wild but not far-fetched. "How do you know that?"

"He talks to himself a lot like he's having a conversation. Sometimes he'll say really cryptic things that Quint used to say at random points in the day. And one time, I found him completely paralyzed when I woke up which had never happened to him before. I didn't want to come to this conclusion but it just makes sense to me," (Y/N) sighed. "You probably think I'm crazy."

Kate looked down and nodded, "Yeah I do... But I kinda am too."

"You-You believe me?"

"I believe you're onto something," Kate poked (Y/N)'s collar. "But if your claim is true, then it's all the more reason that you can't be here."

"I don't want to leave Miles, I want to help him. I know it's dangerous but I want to help him, please."

Kate admired (Y/N)'s caring nature but she was reaching a line that would be too harmful to cross. "(Y/N), let me tell you something."

Kate guided the girl to a set of chairs and asked her to sit. "I know you like him, more than anything but there needs to be a time when you need to put yourself first. Your relationship may have started out great and the things you both have gone through wasn't your fault at all but it's not healthy for you nor is it healthy for him. It's hard to hear considering all he's done for you and all you did for him. But he needs real help and so do you and not from each other. He's broken you, (Y/N). You're afraid to smile."

Another quiet sob escaped (Y/N)'s lips.

"Leaving is what you need to do." Kate tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"And what about Quint? How am I supposed to leave knowing Quint is still around Miles?"

"I promise I will deal with it. As soon as it's over, you'll be the first person I call. Okay?"

(Y/N)'s lip quivered before she engulfed Kate in a hug and broke out in sobs as she does so. Kate was taken back, but soon hugged her back while the girl's tears stained her shoulder. She knew it was hard when it came to relationships especially at her age. The view of the world was skewed and the only thing you could see was the person in front of you. Taking out those blinds was the hardest thing to do but it would always help in the long run. Kate hoped after (Y/N) was safe that she would realize how horribly she was treated.

"I don't wanna leave him, Kate." (Y/N) said through her sobs.

"I know, honey. I know," Kate patted her back. "But you understand? Why you have to?"

(Y/N) sniffed and broke off the hug, "Yeah, yeah I do."

"Okay, all you need to do is pack whatever you have in the house if you want to take it with you. Then meet me here, at this time, twelve thirty am. I'll drop you off at your house and you'll be safe, okay?"

(Y/N) wiped her eyes and nodded, "Okay."

"It's between you and me, you can't tell anyone else."

(Y/N) nodded and stood up then went out the room with Kate following in suit. She closed the door and watched (Y/N) do her best to wipe her tears and stop breathing heavily. The amount of trauma going through her head was staggering, Kate couldn't even imagine. She had been in relationships before but never something as extreme as this.

The girl turned around and tried to give Kate a smile, causing her to send on in return. The smile looked like it was foreign to her, but Kate understood. "Thanks, Kate."

"You're going to be okay, I promise." Kate said.

Then (Y/N) disappeared behind the door, closing it as softly as possible.


	3. Manipulation

Kate didn't think it was possible but (Y/N) had gotten quieter. She couldn't really blame her for being more cautious about everything, especially since she was keeping such a big secret from Miles. He didn't notice it but there were looks that Kate picked up on. During dinner, he snuck glances at (Y/N) multiple times while she played with her food and quietly asked if she was alright. Though she nodded, (Y/N) went right back to pushing her mashed potatoes across the plate.

She didn't eat all that much at breakfast either, saying she lost her appetite before disappearing into Miles' room. What Kate didn't know was that she had a small panic attack, trying to recollect herself so she didn't look any different from the way she did when she left.

Dinner was no different as she stood up with a half-finished plate, announcing she was full. She took her plate to the kitchen, despite Ms. Grose's insistence on taking it herself and raced upstairs just like how she did in the morning. (Y/N) felt her hands shaking as she closed the door, rubbing them against each other for some sort of warmth. Out of panic, she went to the bathroom and checked to see if her bag was still in the cabinet under the sink. It seemed like Miles knew everything despite how oblivious he was acting throughout the day. His questions never suggested anything other than concern for her well-being but the questions kept building up. It was only a matter of time before he found out, she only hoped it wasn't too early.

When (Y/N) heard the door open, her heart rate spiked as she closed the cabinet doors and walked out of the bathroom, taking a deep breath. Miles came in with a mildly concerned yet frustrated expression, charging towards her and placed his hands on either side of her face.

"Why'd you leave without me? Again?" He asked, his face too close to hers for her to think straight. She knew he did that for a reason, but she never seemed to find a way to stop focusing on him.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just a little... off." (Y/N) saw an anvil over her head as Miles led her to his bed.

"Why?" He asked, paying more attention to his finger swirling around the (strands/braids/dreads) of her hair.

"I just-um, I miss my dad. He's been asking me when I'm coming home." Her voice shrunk with each passing word. His gaze became more intimidating, something (Y/N) noticed he used when she did something he didn't like. All of the small things were building up and suddenly Kate’s words made a lot more sense.

"Your dad's fine. He's trying to guilt trip you, okay?"

"I guess, bu—"

"Do you want to leave me?" He questioned, causing a flip in her stomach. _Does he know?_

"No, no I don't." (Y/N) was glad she was sitting or her knees would have buckled under the stress. Her gaze, however, was glued to the floor, tracing the lines of each plank towards the door. It hurt to think she found more comfort in pieces of wood than her own boyfriend. And the knife dug deeper when he lifted her sight back to him.

"Then how come you're so worried about your dad all of a sudden?"

"I call him everyday, Miles." She said, careful not to sound too matter-of-factly.

Miles looked down in contemplation before meeting her eyes once again, "Then stop calling him."

"Um, I don't-" (Y/N) couldn't find the right words. She was leaving that night anyways so whatever she agreed or disagreed to didn't mean anything.

"There's no reason to. It's just you and me, hm?" Miles gave her a chaste kiss on the mouth. "I'm the only person you need to talk to."

She had no choice but to agree, "Yeah, yeah you're right."

Miles smiled and leaned back to admire her girlfriend’s obedience, at least that’s what she thought, “Is that my sweater?”

(Y/N) grabbed the hem of the article of clothing she mindlessly grabbed from his drawer. A pit in her stomach formed, “I’m sorry for taking it without asking.”

”It’s fine, princess,” he cupped her cheek. “Y’know I like it when you wear my clothes. Makes you look sexy.”

She didn’t like when he called her that. If it came from a genuine place she’d swoon, fall head over heels and blush like crazy. But this Quint talking not Miles. Before, he was always reluctant when Quint asked him to say stuff like that, he’d say them but with a small voice and hesitant body language. After everything, he’s grown the confidence to say it with nonchalance but there was always something holding him back. (Y/N) liked to think that was the Miles she truly knew but it was faint and deteriorating with each passing day. She’d never blame him for what happened and that’s what was keeping her there. A small spark of hope that her crazy ghost theory was right. 

Her thoughts cut off when Miles went in for a longer kiss this time, cradling the back of her head with one hand and pulling her closer by the waist with the other. Her hands pressed against his chest, uncomfortable but willing to let him continue. She was hesitant with it, scared and unsure if this counted as some sort of betrayal towards him. However, with all that’s happened and going to happen, she always melted into his touch. With Kate's words floating around in (Y/N)'s head, she knew how twisted that was but she couldn't help it. She was going to miss it too, along with many other things that would be weird for her not to do anymore. And getting over it, accepting it would be harder but if Kate was sure she'd feel better eventually then it was a good enough motivation.

First, she'd have to get out of the house alive.

(ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ~

(Y/N) watched the clock as soon as it struck twelve. She kept track of the hand making its way across the numbers with each passing minute. There were many times in the half-hour time span that she considered going to Kate's room early so she didn't have to think about what she was leaving behind. But, she waited for the minute hand to reach the number six as she looked at Miles' arm draped over her shoulder. She wanted to intertwine her hand with his for one last time as a way to say sorry and she would still have feelings for him. However, he'd feel it and wake up, unable to go back to sleep then convince her to stay.

The thought made a tear trickle down her cheek. But she bit back her sobs and tried to acknowledge the fact his arms were still around her.

The minute hand reached the five when (Y/N) pulled up her sleeve and traced over her scars. This wasn't a normal thing to do to someone, not even your significant other. Something like matching tattoos made sense to her but those were voluntary, both parties agreed to it. (Y/N) had no say nor did Miles carve her initials in his arm—not that she'd been ask him to—and it wasn't a sign of commitment. It was a sign of possession.

" _Do you want me to leave you alone?" (Y/N) asked as she caressed Miles' trembling hands. She thought it was good to take him away from the gathering downstairs. Hearing about how Quint was a great man seemed to put Miles in a more aggressive mood than usual. Also, hearing the straight-up lies coming out of people's mouth was annoying to her._

_“That’s_ _the last thing I want you to do. Don't ask stupid questions, (Y/N)," Miles said with malice laced in his tongue._

_She nodded, looking at his guitar. "How about you play some music? I know that calms you down—"_

" _In fact, never do it." He seemed to have ignored her previous question._

_"What?" She asked, startled when he ripped his hand away._

_"You're mine, you know that right?" He travelled towards his drawers._

_You furrowed your eyebrows, "Yeah?”_

_"Good, because leaving me isn't an option. Even if we break up."_

_(Y/N) felt the bile build up in her throat as Miles picked up his pocket knife. He turned to her with an unreadable expression while his thumb pushed the button, causing the sharp metal to pop up. She couldn't help but jump at the shing! sound, still she kept her face neutral._

_"Miles..."_

_"Even if you're across the world. You need something as a reminder."_

_(Y/N) tried to stand up but Miles ordered her to sit back down. Knowing she was outmatched, she obeyed and he sat down next to her. His hands were still shaking but it wasn't out of anger anymore, he was just gripping the knife too harshly. (Y/N)'s butterflies warned her to run away or talk Miles out of whatever he was about to do. Instead, she sat, frozen in fear and waited for him to reveal he was just messing with her_. _He always liked to pull pranks like this._

_"Give me your arm," he asked quietly._

_She breathed in harshly, "Why—"_

_Miles huffed and grabbed her arm, turning it over so her palm was facing upward. (Y/N)'s heart beat out of her chest, watching the knife floating over to her skin. She was about to protest before she felt white hot searing pain emerge from her wrist as his knife dug into her flesh. Her first instinct was to scream in pain, staring at the blood trickling down onto the floor. She was sure she could be heard from downstairs but negatively thought they assumed she was crying because of Quint. She wanted to look away, assuming it would hurt less if she did but her eyes refused to obey that command._

_"Shut up," he said calmly as he started the second line, connecting it with the first._

_"It hurts. Please, it hurts!" She exclaimed._

_"I said shut up. No shit it hurts. Suck it up," he responded, wiping the blood off to see the lines better._

_It wasn't until he said shut up for the fifth time that (Y/N) bit her tongue and managed to look away, wiping her tears as quickly as possible. She had fallen off a bike before and scraped her knee, she had gotten a paper cut from turning the page of her math textbook, she had cut her finger, helping Ms. Grose chop vegetables but she had never experienced pain like this. All the blame pointed to her. Maybe she said the wrong thing? Perhaps, taking him up to his room wasn't the right call? She couldn't see where she went in the bad direction._

_(Y/N)'s arm was swollen and throbbing when he finished. She examined the new edition to her (s/c) skin, her other hand hovering over the letters M and F. They were crooked and shaky but clear to read as the wounds continued to vomit blood. Miles looked over it as well, a look of content with the slightest hint of surprise hidden in his coal brown eyes_. _When his hand raised and tucked (Y/N)'s (strand/braids/dreads) behind her ear, she almost felt the need to flinch away but restrained herself. She didn't want to make him more angry_.

_"Now, wherever you go. Wherever you are, I'm there." He kisses her cheek as her whimpers trailed into his ear, her red eyes staring at nothing. His words suggested comfort as did the way he held her jaw but his tone and stare suggested the opposite. "Let's clean this up."_

The clock's minute hand reached the six, causing (Y/N)'s stomach to flip. She sighed and worked up her nerves and doubts as she crawled out of Miles grasp the way she did the night before. Her footsteps were light as she went to the bathroom and grabbed her bag from the cabinet. She thanked the house for keeping the doors oiled for so long, slowly closing both the cabinet and the bathroom door. As she moved to the exit, Miles' spider caught her eye, pulling her towards the case where it lived. She tickled the glass and mouthed bye before she narrowed her eyes back to the exit. Knowing she'd give in and climb back into the bed, she didn't look at Miles and went out into the hall. She closed the door as quietly as possible then leaned against it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.


	4. A Look Into The Past

𝕂ate let out a heavy sigh when (Y/N) came through the door with her bag slung over her shoulder. Her heartbeat began to slow as the sound of it diminished through her body. Though, she was late for a minute, too many possibilities popped into her head, most of which ended in death or torture. Anything was possible in a house like this. (Y/N) walked in with timid steps, her eyes lost in the cloudy abyss of fear.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked, though her emotions were clear.

"No, but I guess I will be," (Y/N) shrugged and placed her bag on Kate's bed. "Can I change?"

"Sure, yeah. I'll just get my car keys," Kate said breathlessly, advancing to her bag in her closet. To say she wasn't nervous would be a lie but as long as her first course of action worked out, dealing with everything else without that weight over her shoulder would be much easier to handle.

When she dug through her bag in the closet, she felt for the cool metal before gripping the keys and pulling it out. She didn't want to risk turning on the light, even flicking on the light switch felt too loud. Looking up to stand, she jumped back when a translucent Quint popped out between the hung up clothes and stared down at her. He was laughing at her, in what felt like mockery . Before she could respond to it, (Y/N) moved beside her with worry.

"Are you okay?" She asked, helping Kate stand as she looked back to see the closet empty.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," Kate replied, still shaken. She noticed (Y/N) was wearing the same black ragged skirt over her knees, a gray wool sweater and black Doc Martens boots. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I am," (Y/N) said then pursed her lips. She took her bag from the bed and slung it back over her shoulder. Kate gave her a reassuring smile after seeing the way she tapped her bag strap anxiously. (Y/N) returned the expression, though a little more tight-lipped and shaky.

Kate put her finger to mouth to indicate silence then slowly opened the door, allowing (Y/N) to go first. She looked back to her room for any sign of Quint and closed it when she found none, twisting the doorknob after closing the door so the sound of it clicking would be nonexistent. The floor moaned ever so slightly with each step the two parties took as they made their way to the stairs. (Y/N) glanced at Miles’ door, cringing as her neck started to cramp from keeping her eyes locked to the doorknob, waiting for any sudden movement. She couldn’t help but think how he would react waking up with her absent by his side. Would he be paralyzed in shock? Would he be angry? Sad? When this was over, would he want nothing to do with her?.

Her nervous fidgets radiated onto Kate, the fluttering in her stomach refusing to rest. She wouldn’t dare reach out to (Y/N) or talk to her, no matter how much she wanted to comfort her. Any other movement other than walking and breathing could lead to fatal conclusions. All she could do was put one foot in front of the other and hope they could make it out of the house. Once they reached the car, it didn’t matter who woke up, they’d be in the clear and (Y/N) would be safe. Fortunately, it seemed they would get to that point as the stairs came into view, so close yet so far. They were almost home free. She even heard (Y/N) breaths slow down as she walked faster, but was careful not to create loud creaks. She was about to take the first step when a third party showed up.

"Where do you think you're going?"

(Y/N) jumped back from the stairs, clutching her bag. Kate pulled the girl behind her when she saw who was at the other side of the stairs. She didn't really know how to respond to him, after all this time Kate could never find the right words to say.

"Miles—" Kate started.

"Why do you have a bag, (Y/N)?" Miles asked, leaning over to get a better look of her. She recoiled behind Kate, a blank look on her face.

"Miles, she's—"

"I'm not talking to you, am I?" He snapped, then locked eyes with (Y/N). "What's with the bag?"

(Y/N) shuddered before saying, "I'm-I’m leaving."

There was a pause of silence before Miles scoffed, "No you're not."

(Y/N) stepped forward, clenching and unclenching her fist. Kate was about to pull her back but refrained when (Y/N) responded with a shaky, "Yes, I am."

Miles raised an eyebrow, "You can't just make that decision."

"Why not?" Bottling up anger was never good for anyone and Kate believed she was about to see why.

"We make decisions together. You can't leave until I say it's okay." He took a step forward, causing (Y/N) to take a step back.

"That seems like you making decisions for me," she bit back. Kate thought her eyes deceived her when she saw Miles' eyes flash black.

"You're letting Kate put bullshit in your head. She's turning you against me." Miles pointed at Kate.

"She's not putting anything in my head," and with a hesitant stance, (Y/N) said. "It's you."

"Me?" He put a hand on his chest.

(Y/N) took a step forward and pulled up her sleeve, showing him the scar he created, "You made me think _this_ was okay! And it's not. You wouldn't let me make friends on the rare occasion I had a chance to, you wouldn't let me go out anywhere on my own, you tried to get me to stop calling my dad. If anyone is controlling me, it's you. And, despite all of that, I don't want to leave you because I know how much you've been through—"

"Then don't leave me—"

"—but I need to think about myself—"

"You're staying here—"

"—for once because I need help. Real help—"

"I said you're not leavi—"

"—from someone that isn't you because you can't help me—"

"Stop talking and let me fucking—"

"—not anymore. This is good for us, I promise—" (Y/N) cut herself off when Miles dropped to his knees, but all Kate could pay attention to was the fact Miles was holding something behind his back.

"First my parents, then Quint," he looked up. "Now you."

"That's not fair," (Y/N) shook her head.

"No, losing the people you love isn't fair. Especially when one of them decides to leave voluntarily," he gestured to (Y/N). Kate hated every second of this. 

"No," (Y/N) looked down, unsure.

"The fact you're doubting where you stand now says a lot, doesn't it?" Miles tilted his head.

(Y/N) squinted her eyes as tears welled up in them, "You-You don't, you don't love—"

"I do. (Y/N), I do. I love you. I’m in love with you."

Kate knew she should've stopped this awhile ago. Miles put (Y/N) in a corner where running to him was the only way to get out. She was too emotional to deal with Miles and with the way she walked towards him, Kate concluded (Y/N) was being pulled right back into the trance she had been in for so long. And she would've fallen completely if Miles didn't say what he said next. Well, if Quint didn't.

"Baby, please. I love you."

(Y/N) took a step back, gripping her bag. "Miles never called me that."

"What?" Miles asked.

"Quint told Miles to call me that and he only did when Quint was around, to impress him." (Y/N) took another step backwards, a look of realization on her face. "You're not Miles."

"Are you listening to how ridiculous you sound?"

"This isn't Miles speaking to me—"

"(Y/N), come here."

Kate had a feeling she was going to find out what was behind his back and pulled (Y/N) towards the stairs, "We need to go."

Miles revealed his pocket knife and pressed the button, standing up while staring directly at (Y/N). "Get over here."

(Y/N) bolted down the stairs with Kate following, Miles hot on their tracks. (Y/N) skipped steps in order to get down to the ground faster, jumping the last five and running towards the door. Kate was a little slower but managed, turning the same corner until she skidded to a stop, pulling (Y/N) back. The latter grew confused, asking what was wrong as if she didn't see what Kate was seeing. Quint was waiting at the front door with a disturbed smile on his face, holding the horse whip with a threatening stance.

"Go this way," Kate instructed, pushing (Y/N) towards a separate corridor.

"Wait what? Why?" She looked back towards the door. Kate went deep into the corridor and opened a random door that revealed a closet full of clothes then ushered (Y/N) inside. She closed the door behind them and locked it, earning a look of confusion.

"The door was free?" (Y/N) questioned.

"No it wasn't. I saw Quint," Kate said matter-of-factly.

"Nobody was there, Kate."

Kate was about to question her but stopped herself, thinking to all the encounters with the ghosts. Every time she saw Jessel, it was a sign or led her to something that furthered her investigation and though she tried to hide it, Kate saw Flora notice her too. Every time she saw Quint, it meant nothing like he was mocking or scaring her. He was trying to make her go crazy and (Y/N) not seeing Quint only supported that theory. If that was the case then she trapped them in the house.

"Shit," Kate said as she went open the door but stopped when she heard

"(Y/N)!" Miles called, running his knife against the walls. "Baby, come out. I want to see your beautiful face."

The young girl covered her mouth, leaning against the clothes as more tears trickled down her face. Kate stared at the door in disbelief, wondering how she was outsmarted by a ghost of all things.

The sound of footsteps and a scraping knife filled both girls with dread, they only hoped that Miles wouldn't be able to find them. Fortunately, Kate watched his shadow pass them, keeping extra quiet while his knife ran past their door. She was about to let out a sigh of relief before the scraping and footsteps stopped all of a sudden. Kate held (Y/N) tightly, waiting for him to keep walking as the dead silence felt like it went on for longer than it was.

The sounds started back up again, only it was moving back _towards_ them. Slowly but surely, his shadow was back in front of the door, looking over them like a hawk to a mouse. There were three slow knocks that erupted fear in (Y/N)'s body, spreading across her nerves. Kate felt the goosebumps rise as she backed away from the door.

"(Y/N)," Miles said softly, causing the girl to whimper and hug Kate tighter. "I wanna see you. Please, open the door."

Kate didn't answer nor did (Y/N), they didn't know how. They heard a sigh then assumed Miles went to sit in front of the door, judging by the way his shadow moved. Kate decided to sit as well, taking (Y/N) down with her. She knew they weren't going anywhere for a while. There was a stretch of silence mixed with (Y/N)'s quiet sobs before Miles spoke up again.

"Did I tell you how I reacted when Louise showed me your drawing?" he asked, tapping his knife against the floor. "She expected me to be really creeped out with the way she described it. She said that you had a whole notebook of drawings of me with the most disgusted voice you could think of."

Kate rubbed (Y/N) shoulder in comfort, unsure of what Miles was trying to do. She assumed it was one last attempt for him to convince (Y/N) to stay. And because Quint liked to play games, Kate put them in a place where it might be a piece of cake for (Y/N) to change her mind.

"But I was fascinated by them. You have a good eye for things, y'know that? I always admire that about you, you're very observant though you slip sometimes. You drew things I didn't even know I had on my face, it was crazy. I wanted to see more of them and meet the girl responsible. So I completely ignored Louise when she asked me out and left her at my locker then went to yours. To my fortune, you were there with your headphones on, looking for something that I noticed was on the ground. Remember how scared you were when I picked it up for you?"

Pulling at (Y/N)'s heartstrings was a clever move as well a dick move, Kate couldn't believe how adamant Miles or whoever was taking him over was about (Y/N) staying with him. And it looked like it was working when she responded with "Yeah. It looked like you were proposing. That’s why I freaked out," through her sniffs.

Kate tapped (Y/N)'s shoulder, about to tell her not to respond to him. But (Y/N) sent her a knowing look as if she was saying "trust me." Kate didn't know what reminiscing about the past would do but if (Y/N) had a plan, it was the best and only one they had.

"Did I?" He chuckled.

"Yeah but then you said—

 _"Sorry, I was just getting your pen," Miles said as he stood up. (Y/N) was sure he could hear her heartbeat, it was pumping too loud in her ears at least. She took off her headphones then took the pen as she took the time to comprehend who was in front of her and why he was here_.

 _"Oh, oh! Thanks, I was looking for that. Thank you," she smiled hesitantly, trailing her eyes away from him every few seconds. Her stomach became thick with awkwardness, she had no idea what she did for the universe to have this exchange with her crush take place_.

_"You said thanks twice. Must be a special pen or I must be a special person." Miles smiled, placed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the locker._

_"Oh no, that's not it, um," She fiddled with the pen._

_"Which one?" Miles asked. “Hope it’s the latter.”_

_  
(Y/N) held her mouth agape, trying to think of a response while contemplating if he was flirting or not. She eventually blurted, "The pen is special to me... but you're special too! I mean, I assume you're special, a special person. I'm just nervous, is all."_

_"Why?"_

_"You, uh, make me nervous," she shrugged and placed her pen in the pocket of her bag._

_Miles raised his eyebrows, "Wow. Honest."_

_"I don't mean it to be rude or anything. It has nothing to do with you specifically, it's just anyone." She couldn't tell if he could sense she was lying, but she gave herself the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, she could barely look him in the eye to see if he believed it.  
_

_“Well, as cute as you look when you’re nervous. I don’t want you to be nervous around me, I don’t bite.”  
_

_(Y/N) wasn’t aware if Miles knew he had a certain way of smiling that could make the world bow down to him, but she was aware he was using it. And being called cute on top of that did not strengthen her weak knees or make her feel any less nervous. “Oh, well-uh okay. It-It’s still kinda hard to not be nervous though. Especially when you’re the first person I’ve talked to today.”_

_"What no friends?"_

_(Y/N) chuckled and shook her head._

_"Me neither."_

"Just as you said that, those group of girls came up to you," (Y/N) said. Kate couldn't tell if she sounded jealous or if it was just her usual deadpan delivery.

"It was terrible timing, I know." Miles stopped tapping his knife and (Y/N) could see his hand under the door. He was calm, but not calm enough.

"Victoria asked you, right? She had the biggest crush on you, maybe more than me." (Y/N) leaned into Kate for more comfort.

"Didn't notice. I don't even remember what she invited me to, it was like some— _"_

_"—friends and I are going to the drive-in movie theatre tonight. My brother is driving us and he might be able to get us beers, if you wanna come?" Victoria asked, while the girls around her ogled Miles like a piece of meat. (Y/N) started to wonder if she looked like them when she looked at Miles, smoothing down her hair, pulling down her shirt. She hoped she didn’t._

_"Uh, I'll check if I'm free," Miles smiled and nodded, waiting for Victoria to acknowledge (Y/N) beside him. She only blushed and bit her lip, flicking her eyes down and up. Miles may not have noticed but (Y/N) did_.

_"Take your time," Victoria said then turned to (Y/N) with a blank expression, as if all emotion drained from her body at the sight of her. (Y/N) gave her a small smile and got a twitch of lips in return. "Bye, Miles."_

_"Bye," Miles nodded._

_The girls didn't get too far before they started giggling uncontrollably and whispering to themselves. There was always a sense of longing whenever (Y/N) saw a group of friends talking like that, but she quickly pushed the thought out of her head and slung her bag over her shoulder._

_"I'd beg to differ on your 'having no friends' thing." She closed her locker, but had no desire to leave. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity._

_"Well, I get invited to things but I wouldn't say I have friends," he shrugged._

_"Judging by the-the way Victoria refused to acknowledge my existence, I'm sure you can tell I don't get invited to anything." She looked down the loose flaps of the bag, but even with all her attention on them she could still feel Miles' eyes on her_.

_"Would you even say yes?"_

_"Depends on where I'm going, but most likely no. I'd rather stay home and—_ "

_"Draw?" He questioned. (Y/N) almost panicked, thinking he was going to say 'draw me' which would've been another thing to add to the pile of embarrassment along with the fact she still couldn't find her newest drawing of Miles._

_"Yeah, pretty much, yeah."_

_"I've seen some of them. You're good, like really good." Miles had her drawing of him ingrained in his mind_.

" _Thank you, that means a lot." Nothing could stop her cheeks from tinting red so she tried to hide it tucking some (strands of hair/braids/dreads) behind her ear. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it), it brought Miles' attention towards it._

 _"You missed some," he tucked the rest rather slowly, causing goosebumps to rise under (Y/N)'s jacket. In that moment, with the way he looked at her, his eyes gazing into her soul, she was convinced he was about to kiss her. Especially with the way his hand moved to caress her cheekbone. And maybe her eyes were deceiving her, but he narrowed his eyes to her lips, waiting for some kind of response. At least, that’s what her fantasy would like to think. But instead of letting the moment play out, she cleared her throat and adjusted her bag strap_.

_"I, uh, gotta go—" she bumped into her locker._

_His eyebrows furrowed, "Are you okay?"_

_"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. You're doing very thankful things today, wow." She turned around and started making her way towards the exit_.

_"See you around!"_

"More like see you every second of school. You wouldn't leave me alone after that." (Y/N) said, thinking how different the context of him not leaving her then and now was. 

"Could you blame me? I was forming a crush on you," Miles said, matter-of-factly. His knife was next to him now, Kate could see it through the crack and it was slim enough to reach under the door. She understood (Y/N)'s plan a lot more. "And it didn't last long before I told you how I felt."

"It felt like forever to me, especially with how all the girls were treating me. Right before you came up to me, Victoria tried to tell me that she should be the one hanging out with you because she liked you longer than me. She said—"

_"You can't just waltz in and take him away from me!"_

_(Y/N) cringed and silently prayed she was anywhere other than at her locker with a lovesick Victoria. "Um, I'm sorry you feel that way. But I didn't take him away, I swear."_

_Victoria scoffed and crossed her arms, "Then how do you explain his sudden interest in you?"_

_"I really don't know, honestly," (Y/N) said, opening her locker and taking out her homework for the day._

_"Well then, stop talking to him."_

_"It's not me going up to him, Victoria. He comes up to me." (Y/N) genuinely had nothing against her, but if she had more confidence she would have told Victoria to bug off a long time ago._

_"Do you feel some sort of obligation to talk to him?"_

_"I don't feel an obligation to talk to anyone," (Y/N) internally rolled her eyes. "He just finds me and starts talking."_

_"Then what's the problem with telling him to bug off? Between you and me, I've liked him longer than you so I automatically get to have him." Her explanation seemed like it was just a fact that had to be followed which put a bad taste in (Y/N)'s mouth._

_"He's not an object under some contract. It's him who chooses who he wants to hang out with. Plus, it's not like he likes me—"_

_"Hey, (Y/N)." As if on cue to juxtapose (Y/N)'s statement, Miles walked in with a bouquet of various flowers in his hands. Victoria straightened her posture, locked in a trance while (Y/N) stared in confusion, wondering why he had flowers._

_"Uh, h-hey—"_

_"Hey, Miles. Who are the flowers for?" Victoria asked, causing Miles to look at her passively._

_"Hi, Victoria. These are for (Y/N), actually." He passes the flowers to a wide-eyed (Y/N)._

_"They are?" She questioned_.

 _"They are?" Victoria but in_.

_"Yeah," he chuckled as if it was obvious._

_"Why?" Victoria asked, dumbfounded._

_"Oh well, it's pretty standard but I think it's a good way to reveal you have a crush on someone," he said nonchalantly with a smile attached to his lips_.

_"You like her?" Victoria asked incredulously as (Y/N) admired the flowers, touching the petals then shot up at what he said. At first, she thought her heart stopped working for even it too was in absolute shock and disbelief. She contemplated if she should pinch herself but decided against because of how weird she’d look. All she could was take his word for it. He liked her. Holy shit. "Shouldn't you think she's an absolute stalker? What about the drawing that Louise showed you?"_

_(Y/N)'s ears perked up, a pit forming in her stomach as the school crumbled around her. Well, at least she knew where her drawing was. She was half-expecting him to take the flowers back after Victoria explained her sketchbook that was filled to the brim with sketches of Miles. However, as she explained, his face didn’t contort into confusion or disgust, regretting his decisions to tell (Y/N) he liked her. Instead, he smiled and pulled out a folded piece of paper then opened it, revealing the missing drawing (Y/N) had been looking for a week._

_"This one?" He said, waving the paper back and forth. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing actually. I obviously wanted to talk to the person who made it. Turns out she's really cool and fun to talk to and insanely beautiful."_

_Though his words were directed towards Victoria, his eyes were aimed at (Y/N), amused by her fascination on the tulips in the bouquet (but she was looking down to recoil into her embarrassment). When she looked up she blushed, surprised to see he was looking at her. The two were too caught up in each other to notice Victoria huffing and walking away._

_"So what do you say? Will you go out with me?"_

"I almost thought you would say no," Miles said.

"But I didn't," (Y/N) shook her head. "Because I liked you and I thought you were a kind person. I still think you are but it's buried beneath so much anger and pain forced onto you that you're a completely different person now."

(Y/N) tapped Kate's shoulder and pointed at the door while she positioned herself at a range where she could grab the knife. "And it's negatively affected everyone around you, including me."

"So why are you choosing to leave instead of help me?" Miles asked as Kate stood up discreetly, placing her hand on the knob.

"Because I'm not qualified to, and I've tried to help in the past, many times. It's only gotten me hurt."

"All I'm hearing is that you're not willing to do everything for me," Miles said as (Y/N) slipped her hand close to the door then gave Kate a look indicating she was ready.

"Not when you're not you," (Y/N) said then nodded at Kate. She swiftly snatched the knife from under the door, giving Kate the cue to unlock it. She swung it harshly, hitting Miles's back which caused him to grunt in pain. (Y/N) flinched at the sound, her mouth open at how brutally Kate hit him. She didn’t want him hurt, just without the knife. (Y/N) didn’t even have time to check on his well-being, especially since he was about to either harm or kill her and was Kate dragging her by the wrist. (Y/N) pocketed the knife and grabbed her bag, watching the anger build up in Miles as he stood up.

"C'mon, let's go," Kate said as they moved toward the exit.


	5. His Spirit Crawls

"In the car! In the car!" Kate yelled, running to the driver's side. She took out her keys as she watched (Y/N) look back with regret, her hand on the door handle. "Hurry up, (Y/N)!"

The girl reluctantly opened the door and threw her bag in the back then took a seat, her chest heaving up and down. In the faint distance, she could hear her name being called by a much deeper and raspy voice. The goosebumps on her skin reacted as well, rising with blood-draining fear by the second. Once Kate closed her own door, she fumbled to put the keys into the ignition and motivated herself to start it. All (Y/N) could do was think about what she just did.

"You hit him too hard," she said softly. "I can't believe we did that."

Just as she finished her sentence, the car growled, causing the lights inside the car to come alive. Kate sighed in relief and pressed her foot on the gas, racing out of the manor as fast as she could. "We did what we had to. He could’ve killed you.”

(Y/N) looked back at the house that started to shrink in size, catching a glimpse of Miles running out of the house before he was as small as one of Flora's porcelain dolls. Because of this, more tears trickled down her cheeks, skewing her view of everything around her. Kate could see (Y/N)'s thoughts become muddled, amazed at how much she was able to read from her face now. "I should've stayed."

"Quint would've killed you—"

"But Quint is killing Miles! He has no control over his body now," (Y/N)'s hands found their way into her hair. She was scratching it so vigorously, Kate was convinced she could rip off her skin. "He's trapped, Kate. That's when I should be right next to him."

"I told you, I will handle Quint—"

"Alone?" (Y/N) asked incredulously. "God, and Flora! And Ms. Grose!—"

"Quint was going after you specifically. He only wants you, that's why you need to leave." Kate explained, coming up on the closed gates.

"How do you know that?"

"I just do. If I try to explain it, it'll only confuse you," Kate hit her hand on the steering wheel in frustration.

"Try me!" (Y/N) exclaimed. "Does it have to do with Ms. Jessel?"

Kate closed her eyes as she stopped the car, right in front of the gates. (Y/N) was already scared shitless, adding on the fact Quint may have had intentions to rape her—potentially in Miles' body—wouldn't cool her down. She couldn't lie to her either, the young girl was very persistent and would nag her for the entire car ride. Kate's only hope was to stay silent.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and told (Y/N) to stay in the car, then ran to the gates and pushed with all the remaining adrenaline she had. Every single nerve in her body, throbbed with fear, screaming at Kate to get the gates opened faster. Unfortunately, that caused her fingers to shake almost unnaturally as she pushed the first gate as far back as the grass. Once the gate could be pushed no further, she moved to the second one, pushing her humid blonde locks out of her hair. She grunted when she hit the gates, shutting her eyes in hopes that it would give her more strength. Before she could make it to the grass however, she heard the sound of glass shattering along with a girlish scream come from the car.

Kate whipped her head and saw a full flesh and bone Quint pull (Y/N) out of the car through the window. The shards of glass tore through her sweater as she resisted Quint's tug, screaming at him to let her go as well as shout Kate's name. Kate's eyes widened, taking a second to process how Quint was in front of her, physically formed. He was wearing a long rugged trench coat with black pants, a dirtied white shirt, and black boots used for horse riding. His hair was greasy and slick, flopping over his face as a hungered smile was smeared across it.

Kate didn't know when she started running but (Y/N) was knocked against the hood of the car, on the brink of unconsciousness when Kate reached the car. Quint dragged her back to the house by her hands while her feet scraped the ground.

"I should've told Miles to do this to you a long time ago." Quint said, holding (Y/N) close to his face. Her eyes were droopy and her ears were ringing but she still had the mouth to protest, forcing out weak no's. "It doesn't matter if you left or not, baby. But you made it harder for yourself so I'll make it harder for you."

Kate grabbed a coffee cup from her cup holder and stumbled out of the car, sprinting towards Quint and (Y/N). The cup was over her head as she approached the pair, trying to be as quiet as possible. She aimed right on top of Quint's head, sending the man to the ground with a pained grunt. (Y/N) toppled to the ground as well, struggling to keep her eyes open as she watched the initials on her wrist bleed with new wounds.

Quint tried to reach for (Y/N)'s legs but Kate climbed on top of him after turning him around to face her. Her hands immediately made their way to his neck, closing off his airways. Quint choked on a breath, flailing his arms around to pry Kate off him. It only made her apply more pressure as the front door opened to reveal Flora in her nightgown running down the trio. She ran even faster when she saw what was happening.

(Y/N) tried to open her eyes again, pushing herself off the ground. She focused on Quint in the act of being strangled by Kate, furrowing her brows at the circumstances that led to that. They furrowed even more when she saw Quint's greasy black hair transform into those familiar raven curls she ran her hands through so many times before. At first she thought she was hysterical to see something like a grown man changing into a teenage boy but she was sure it was happening. And it was confirmed when Flora yelled, "Miles!"

Flora helped (Y/N) sit up before running over to Kate and pushing her off her brother. Miles was unconscious by then, spiking (Y/N)'s heart rate up significantly. She crawled over to him while Flora shook him, pleading for him to wake up.

"What did you do!" Flora yelled to Kate who stared, dumbfounded. She swore he was Quint, there was no doubt in her mind. Still, she knew she should've stopped when she saw his eyes morph from shadow black to coal brown. Now, she may have killed someone, someone she was supposed to look after.

Flora began sobbing, weakly shaking her brother as she lost hope the longer he didn't respond. (Y/N) felt a hole begin to form in her stomach, praying to whatever was up in the sky to say it was playing a prank on her and Miles was fine. But then Flora gave up on trying to shake him awake as (Y/N) stared at his limp hand, defeated. Flora latched onto (Y/N), hiding her face in the crook of her neck. Though (Y/N) was caught off guard and still trying to recover, she held Flora close to her. Her whole world crumbled around her as she stared at Miles' lifeless body, surprised that she still had tears left to cry. She couldn't be bothered to look at Kate, and opted to touch Miles' shoulder which seemed to trigger something in his body.

His back arched as his mouth opened, revealing a jet black spider crawling out of it. The three parties crowded around him moved back in shock. Kate grimaced, (Y/N) furrowed her eyebrows and Flora had her mouth agape, watching the boy cough out a spider. It trickled down his cheek and across his neck then moved towards the woods, blending into the dark shadows of the grass and eventually became invisible to their eyes. There was a moment of silence before Miles shot up with a deep breath, eyes flickering around frantically. Flora took no time to jump into his arms, a joyful smile on her face. He was still out of it, but managed to give his sister a small smile and wrap his arms around her.

(Y/N) covered her mouth, a small part of her still guarded by what Miles could do. But as soon as he looked at her, she only saw the soft gaze that she used to fawn over long ago. He was him again, genuinely him again.

"I'm so sorry," was the first thing he said, voice cracked and raspy. He took (Y/N)'s hands in his. "It wasn't me."

(Y/N) gave him a side hug, burying her face in his neck. Broken sobs, scoffs and sighs escaped her lips. "I know. I'm sorry for trying to leave."

"No, I wanted to tell you to. If you didn't, Quint would've made me do something I would never forgive myself for." He stroked her hair while rubbing Flora's shoulder. "And I'm sorry for this."

He turned her wrist over to see her scar. She looked over it as well, wincing at the blood racing down her wrist, "I had no control over myself."

"I know that now," she said softly. "But I think we both need therapy."

It may have been inappropriate but Miles couldn't help but laugh and nod, kissing his girlfriend's cheek. Kate then met his eyes and sensed some sort of understanding. It was almost like he was saying 'thank you for trying to save my girlfriend's life'. No acceptance or forgiveness was detected though. There was still a wound cut deep with bad blood between them.

But at least now, Kate obtained an understanding.


End file.
